Relay with armature contacts, particularly reed contacts



Se t. 13, 1966 w. GROBE ETAL 3,273,038

RELAY WITH ARMATURE CONTACTS, PARTICULARLY REED CONTACTS Filed April 12, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l s i w. GRO BE ETAL RELAY WITH ARMATURE CONTACTS, PARTICULARLY REED CONTACTS Filed April 12, 1965 Sept. 13, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,273,088 RELAY WITH ARMATURE CONTACTS, PARTICULARLY REED CONTACTS Wolfgang Grobe, Ludwigsburg, and Emil Mattes, Bietigheim, Germany, assignors to International Standard Electric Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 447,347 Claims priority, application Germany, May 8, 1964, St 22,096 7 Claims. (Cl. 335-153) The invention relates to a relay with armature contacts, particularly reed contacts, in which at least two contact pairs, each provided with an operating air gap, are simultaneously actuated by a common electro-magnetic circuit. Of particular interest in this invention are relays with armature contact pairs.

Multi-contact relays known to the art are equipped with an electromagnet with flow guiding elements provided on the pole surfaces which distribute the total flux onto the armature contacts. Typically, the latter are arranged side by side between the flux guiding elements, -i.e, they are in parallel to the magnetic circuit and each guides a portion of the total flux generated. Therefrom results for distributing the flux onto the individual contacts that an armature contact responding previous to the remaining ones due to the unavoidable manufacturing tolerances, represents a smaller magnetic parallel resistance than the remaining branches and they are thus magnetically impaired. To pull up the remaining contacts, a higher flux is required than necessary for simultaneous responding of all contacts.

The corresponding reverse effect occurs due to the flux distribution in normally closed relays, the armature contacts of which are kept in closed positions by a permanent magnet. To open the contacts, the magnetic flux is reduced by corresponding energy so that the mechanical spring tension of the armature contacts exceeds the magnetic holding force. If, however, an individual armature contact, of several contacts arranged parallel in the magnetic circuit, opens earlier than the remaining ones, its flux portion is essentially distributed onto the other contacts due to the increase of the magnetic branch resistance, the opening or droppingof the remaining contacts is thereby impaired. Therefore, increased tolerance requirements are found in both the mechanical and magnetic production to make it possible to adjust the armature contacts and the permanent magnets with sufficient exactness.

Moreover, polarized relays are known which have two armature cont-acts, series-connected in a permanent magnet circuit and having the effect of switch-over devices. The armature contacts are arranged side by side in an excitation winding, i.e. arranged in parallel to the magnetic flux. The aforementioned problems do not occur here, because both contacts are always actuated in the opposite sense. In compliance with the other mode of action, the aforementioned arrangement does not surpass the difficulties when armature contacts shall be actuated in the same sense by an electromagnetic circuit.

It is the object of the invention to create a relay with several armature contacts associated to a common electromagnetic circuit which avoids the disadvantages of the arrangements known.

The relay according to the invention has at least two armature contact pairs, each provided with an operating air gap, actuated simultaneously by a common electromagnetic circuit and is primarily characterized in this that the armature contacts with their air gaps are arranged in the electromagnetic circuit in a magnetic series 3,273,088 Patented Sept. 13, 1966 connection. Thereby it is achieved at a decreasing magnetic flux in the cont-acts that the contact opening at first increases the magnetic resistance of the entire contact row, even reduces the flux at a constant excitation and thus advances the dropping of the remaining contacts, vice versa, a closing contact reduces the magnetic resistance of the contact row at an increasing excitation, increases the magnctic flux at constant excitation and causes the remaining contacts to close or at least prepares them to close.

A particular construction of the invention for an adhesive or closed circuit relay with a permanent magnet circuit and electro-magnetic circuit, in common associated with one of the armature contacts, is characterized in this that the contacts in the permanent magnet circuit and in the electro-magnet circuit are arranged in series. By this both magnetic circuits have the same effect in each contact in the same manner for both possible flux directions of the electro-magnet, i.e. either in all contacts in the same sense or in all contacts in the opposite sense. Thereby the desired release effect of the primarily actuated contact is obtained when the contacts break as well as when they close.

A further embodiment of the invention for an adhesive or closed circuit relay with two side-by-side arranged reed armature contacts and a common permanent magnet is charactenized in this that between the read tube ends an excitation winding is arranged which intersects the magnetic flux with both tube axes. This results in a particular space-saving construction, because the winding can be made very short, while for the diameter of the winding suflicient space is available due to the length of the reed tubes.

Another construction according to the invention, also provides for a relay with side-by-side located reed armature contacts characterized in this that at least one excitation winding and a permanent magnet gripping through the winding opening or encompassing the winding is associated to the side-by-side located reed tubes.

Another embodiment of the invention for side-by-side located reed contacts is characterized in this that between both pairs and parallel located terminal sections of the armature contacts always one excitation winding is arranged, intersecting both reed tube axes. Thereby, a larger total winding cross-section can be accommodated at equal exterior dimensions.

Another embodiment of the invention for side-by-side located reed contacts is characterized in this that at least on one of both reed contacts an excitation winding with a magnetizing direction coinciding with the reed axes is arranged and that both exterior side-by-side located armature ends are connected always by a flux guiding element. To obtain a closed circuit or adhesive feature, also a common permanent magnet for the armature contacts can be provided.

Another embodiment of the invention is characterized in this that at least two reed armature contacts with tube axes in the same direction are arranged with a certain distance in the direction of the axes and have each a coaxial winding. Therefrom results a simple fixing of the reed armature contacts and a compact construction at relatively large winding space.

Some examples of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a relay with two side-by-side located reed armature contacts and common permanent magnet and electro-magnet,

FIGS. 2a and 2b respectively show the course of the flux in the relay according to FIG. 1 for two different operating conditions,

FIG. 3 shows a relay with two reed contacts and subdivided excitation Winding,

FIG. 4 shows another construction of the relay ac cording to FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 shows a relay with two reed armature contacts and two permanent magnets with two excitation windings,

FIG. 6a shows another construction of the relay according to FIG. 5 in longitudinal section, and FIG. 6b shows an additional variation of the device shown in FIG. 6a,

FIG. 7 shows a top view of the relay according to FIG. 6, and

FIG. 8 shows a relay according to FIG. 1 or FIG. 5 with a matrix-shaped switching panel.

In the relay according to FIG. 1, two reed contacts 1 with contact pairs 2 are arranged in parallel to each other within a shielding 3. Between the reed contact tubes a permanent magnet 4 and an excitation winding 5 are arranged with the magnetizing direction always intersecting both tube axes in a right angle. Therefrom results via the reed contacts and both magnets a closed flux in which both operating air gaps 6 of the armature contacts are arranged in series.

FIG. 2a shows the flux of said relay at a polarization in opposite direction of permanent magnet and electromagnet. Thereby, the magnetic fluxes in both air gaps 6 cancel each other in compliance with the arrows of direction shown and the contacts are open. When the flux direction of the permanent magnet and the electromagnet are the same according to FIG. 2b, the fields in the air gaps add and cause the contacts to close. Such an arrangement can be used in principle for a closed circuit relay as well as for an adhesive relay. In the first case, the intensity of the permanent magnet is sufficient to close the contacts, in the second case, however, it is sufiicient only to hold the contacts closed, after they have been operated by the magnetic fluxes according to FIG. 2b.

The relay according to FIG. 3 also possesses two sideby-side located reed armature contacts. The excitation winding is here subdivided into two partial windings 8, each winding applied to one of the reed tubes. The magnetizing directions of both partial windings are poled in the opposite direction so that, here too, both operating air gaps 9 are arranged in series with the magnetic flux. The permanent magnet 10 corresponds in its effect to the arrangement according to FIG. 2, and encompasses the reed tube ends like a fork, offering thus a reduced magnetic resistance for the flux transition betewen the magnet and the armature contacts. By means of a flux guiding piece 11 the flux transition between the contacts is favoured.

The relay according to FIG. 4 essentially corresponds to the design according to FIG. 3, but the partial coils are mounted on the contacting sections, protruding over the reed contact ends. Thereby a smaller space between the axes of the reed tubes is possible. The permanent magnets 12 are also provided outside the reed tubes at the terminal sections of the armature contacts.

If at given exterior dimensions, a larger winding crosssection and a'larger volume of permanent magnetic material shall be accommodated in the magnetic circuits it is recommended to subdivide the winding and the permanent magnet according to FIG. 5. Two partial windings 13 and corresponding permanent magnets 14 are again provided but with a magnetizing direction arranged transverse to the reed tubes. The magnetic fluxes .superimpose each other in both air gaps 15 always in the same sense or in the opposite sense and cause the contacts to close f or to open. i

The relay according to FIG. 6 corresponds in its design 'in principle to the one according to FIG. 5, whereby, however, the permanent magnets 16 encompass the partial windings 17 (FIG. 6a or FIG. 6b), and the reed tube ends with large-sized studs. Thereby a favourable fiux transition between permanent magnet and armature contacts is obtained. In all examples mentioned, the operating air gaps in the permanent magnet and electro-magnetic circuits are arranged magnetically in series.

FIG. 7 shows another elevation of: the relay according to FIG. 6a in axial direction. Both reed tubes 18 are here arranged in diagonal direction of a rectangular housing 19. Therefrom result for a defined axial distance of the reed tubes and for given diameters of the windings 1'1 comparatively small exterior dimensions.

The construction according to FIG. 1 or FIG. 5 is particularly suitable to built up matrix-shaped switching panels as shown in FIG. 8. The relay housings 19 are assembled like bricks and can be extended to two-dimensional switching panels of an arbitrary extension. The multiple wiring 20 respectively 21, running along the rows and columns of the thus obtained cross-points are thereby connected to the opposite, free ends of the armature contacts.

While the principles of the invention have been described above in connection with specific apparatus and applications, it is to be understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation on the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A relay comprising:

two pairs of reed contacts encapsulated in tubes, spaced parallel to each other and surrounded by air spaces,

said air spaces forming distinguishable regions of space located respectively between saidpairs of reed contacts, around said pairs of reed contacts, and extending from the ends of said pairs of reed contacts,

a permanent magnet positioned in a selected one of said regions of space nearr said pairs of reed contacts to form a first series magnetic linkage through said pairs of reed contacts,

an electromagnet including a coil having independent terminals positioned near said permanent magnet and within said selected region of space to enable the formation of a second series magnetic linkage through said pairs of reed contacts,

said reed contacts being biased by said first series magnetic linkage to an ope-n position,

said reed contacts closing in the presence of said second series magnetic linkage induced by a current of a first polarity in said electromagnet, and

said reed contacts remaining open in the presence of said second series magnetic linkage induced by a current of polarity opposite to said first polarity in said electromagnet.

2. A relay substantially as claimed in claim 1,-in which the first series magnetic linkage is made strong enough to close the contacts, and

the second series magnetic linkage is employed to open sa-id contacts.

3. A relay substantially as claimed in claim 1, in which the permanent magnet is formed to extend beyond said selected region of space to encompass one end of the electromagnet.

4. A relay substantially as claimed in claim 1, in which the permanent magnet and the coil of the electromagnet are positioned in a region of space between the respective pairs of reed contacts.

5. A relay substantially as claimed in claim 1, in which the permanent magnet forms a ring in one of said regions of spacing surrounding the tubes containing the two pairs of said reed contacts, and

the electromagnet consists of two series connected rings each of which forms a ring around one of the tubes containing a pair of reed contacts.

6. A relay substantially as claimed in claim 1, in which the pairs of reed contacts are connected to terminals extending through the ends of the tubes,

the electromagnet includes four series connected rings,

each of said rings occupies a position encircling one of the terminals, and

the permanent magnet includes two components positioned respectively between terminals at the respective ends of the tubes.

7. A relay substantially as claimed in claim 1 arrayed as part of a matrix with identical relays,

a plurality of wires forming rows and columns in said matrix, and

means connecting said Wires to respective independent terminals of the coils in said relays to form a switching panel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Oliver 20087 Perreault ZOO-87 Jacobson 200-87 Jacobson et a1. 20087 Peek 20087 Werts 20087 Ellwood 20087 BERNARD A. GILHEANY, Primary Examiner.

B. DOBECK, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A RELAY COMPRISING: TOW PAIRS OF REED CONTACTS ENCAPSULATED IN TUBES, SPACED PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER AND SURROUNDED BY AIR SPACES, SAID AIR SPACES FORMING DISTINGUISHABLE REGIONS OF SPACE LOCATED RESPECTIVELY BETWEEN SAID PAIRS OF REED CONTACTS, AROUND SAID PAIRS OF REED CONTACTS, AND EXTENDING FROM THE ENDS OF SAID PAIRS OF REED CONTACTS, A PERMANENT MAGNET POSITIONED IN A SELECTED ONE OF SAID REGIONS OF SPACE NEAR SAID PAIRS OF REED CONTACTS TO FORM A FIRST SERIES MAGNETIC LINKAGE THROUGH SAID PAIRS OF REED CONTACTS, AN ELECTROMAGNET INCLUDING A COIL HAVING INDEPENDENT TERMINALS POSITIONED NEAR SAID PERMANENT MAGNET AND WITHIN SAID SELECTED REGION OF SPACE TO ENABLE THE FORMATION OF A SECOND SERIES MAGNETIC LINKAGE THROUGH SAID PAIRS OF REED CONTACTS, SAID REED CONTACTS BEING BIASED BY SAID FIRST SERIES MAGNETIC LINKAGE TO AN OPEN POSITION, SAID REED CONTACTS CLOSING IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID SECOND SERIES MAGNETIC LINKAGE INDUCED BY A CURRENT OF A FIRST POLARITY IN SAID ELECTROMAGNET, AND SAID REED CONTACTS REMAINING OPEN IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID SECOND SERIES MAGNETIC LINKAGE INDUCED BY A CURRENT OF POLARITY OPPOSITE TO SAID FIRST POLARITY IN SAID ELECTROMAGNET. 